A great deal of history has been made in the Archdiocese of Dubuque since its founding in 1837. The Archives Office has attempted to put together a day by day accounting of both the significant and everyday events that have shaped our history.
| April 1954: Franciscans sell “Our Lady of Lourdes” property on 17th St. It had served many educational needs, including a female college founded by Catherine Beecher, sister of Harriet Beecher Stowe. | The Witness | |
| April 1, 1980: Funeral of Father Louis McDonough | The Witness | |
| April 2, 1902: Immaculate Conception, Haverhill had its beginings in 1877 with 12 German and 9 Irish families. By 1900 the parish numbered 73 families and on April 2, 1902 the corner stone for a larger church was laid. | Centennial History of the Archdiocese of Dubuque (1937), pp. 337-339 | |
| April 2, 1963: Archbishop announced plans for the development of three central high schools to serve 16 areas in the Dyersville deanery. They will be in Dyersville, Farley and Holy Cross. | The Witness | |
| April 2, 2005: Death of Pope John Paul II. | The Witness | |
| April 3, 1990: Funeral of Sister Thea Bowman: educator, evangelist and gospel singer; granddaughter of a slave. | The Witness | |
| April 4, 1994: Death of Msgr. Leroy J. Enzler, oldest priest of the Archdiocese. | The Witness | |
| April 6, 1971: Death of Father Bernard L. White, pastor at St. Patrick’s, Fairfax for 27 years. | The Witness | |
| April 6, 1938: Perpetual Novena in honor of Our Sorrowful Mother began at St. Patrick’s, Dubuque. | The Witness | |
| April 7, 1851: beginning of the “Catholic Congregation of Guttenberg”; later named Holy Trinity — first church of any denomination in Clayton County | Centennial History of the Archdiocese of Dubuque (1937), p. 43 | |
| April 7, 1991: Archbishop Kucera dedicated the recently constructed St. Stephen Student Center in Cedar Falls. | The Witness | |
| April 8, 1974: Archbishop Edward D. Howard celebrated the golden anniversary of his ordination, a Dubuque native son. He was an Auxiliary Bishop in Davenport and the Archbishop of Portland, Oregon. | The Witness | |
| April 8, 1976: Death of Msgr. Leo A. Jaeger, Holy Ghost pastor for 22 years. | The Witness | |
| April 10, 1882: St. Joseph’s, Independence. Parish began when some of the German pioneers in the area met with a view of founding their own parish and sent a petition to Bishop Hennessy | Centennial History of the Archdiocese of Dubuque (1937), p. 335 | |
| April 10, 1963: Release of Pope John XXIII’s encyclical, Pacem in Terris (Peace on Earth). He called it his Easter present to the world. | The Witness | |
| April 11, 2015: Seven Sisters Apostolate Retreat at the Cathedral; women praying for their parish priests weekly. | The Witness | |
| April 11, 1977: Death of Father Louis A. Putz, priest of the Archdiocese for 47 years. | The Witness | |
| April 12, 1942: Celebration of the golden anniversary of the ordination of Msgr. Arnold Boeding at Sacred Heart Parish, Dubuque. | The Witness | |
| April 13, 1863: “German Roman Catholic Building Association of Dubuque” organized. Its purpose was to raise money to construct a larger church for St. Mary’s. | Centennial History of the Archdiocese of Dubuque (1937), p. 37+ | |
| April, 13, 1947: Official creation of St. Thomas Aquinas Church and Catholic Student Center, Ames. | The Witness | |
| April 13, 1982: Death of Father Laurence W. Klassen, who supervised the building of the American Martyrs Retreat House in Cedar Falls. | The Witness | |
| April 14, 2007: Death of Father William Menster, “South Pole Padre.” | The Witness | |
| April 14, 1948: Professor Joseph Dreher was honored during one of several events commemorating his 50 years of service to Sacred Heart in Dubuque as organist and teacher. | The Witness | |
| April 15, 1905: Confraternity of Christian Doctrine (CCD) ordered to be established in every parish in the world by Pope Pius X. | The Witness | |
| April 16, 1210: Official founding of the Franciscan Order | ||
| April 16, 1957: Death of Fr. Augustine Bomholt, a priest of the Archdiocese for 54 years. | The Witness | |
| April 17, 1936: Death of Arnold Seitz, “Dubuque Boy, Hospital Patient for 20 years, One of City’s Foremost Figures.” | The Witness | |
| April 18, 1980: Death of Father Raymond Duffy. | The Witness | |
| April 18, 1945: Death of Father James P. Hamill, St. Patrick’s, Dougherty, when a freight train hit his car. | The Witness | |
| April 19, 1839: Bishop Loras arrived in the recently created diocese of Dubuque | The Witness | |
| April 19, 2017: Msgr. Thomas Zinkula named Bishop of Davenport | The Catholic Messenger (Davenport) | |
| April 20, 1839: First baptism by Bishop Loras in Dubuque was that of Thomas Bourne. Bishop Loras kept good records. | Centennial History of the Archdiocese of Dubuque (1937), p. 9 | |
| April 22, 1837: Bishops at a Council in Baltimore recommended to Pope Gregory XVI, the erection of the See of Dubuque, Iowa in the great hinterland | Centennial History of the Archdiocese of Dubuque (1937), p. xxvii | |
| April 23, 1993: Dedication and blessing of Loras College’s Alumni Campus Center. | The Witness | |
| April 24, 1985:New way to spread the gospel; (CTNA) satellite dish installed at Archdiocesan Center | The Witness | |
| April 24, 1866: John Hennessy chosen Bishop of Dubuque. | The Witness | |
| April 24, 1957: Two Dubuque priests raised to the episcopacy; Msgr. George Biskup, Auxiliary to the Archbishop of Dubuque and Msgr. James Casey, Auxiliary to the Bishop of Lincoln. | The Witness | |
| April 24, 1963: St. John’s Church and School dedicated, after the old church and school were destroyed by fire in 1960 | The Witness | |
| April 25, 1898: Cornerstone ceremony for St. Joseph’s Elkader, designed by architect, Guido Beck of Dubuque. | Centennial History of the Archdiocese of Dubuque (1937), p. 78 | |
| April 25: Latest date on which Easter can occur; next in 2038. | The Witness | |
| April 26, 1784: Death of Nano Nagle, founder of Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary (PBVM) in Ireland. Sisters arrived from Ireland in 1874 to open a school in St. Joseph Parish, Key West. | The Witness | |
| April 26, 1950: New Hampton celebrated the golden anniversary of the erection of St. Joseph’s church and pastor | The Witness | |
| April 27, 2014: Historic day on which Pope Francis canonized two popes: Sts. John XXIII and John Paul II. Three Dubuque seminarians took part in the celebration. | The Witness | |
| April 28, 1901: New Hampton (new) church building dedicated | Centennial History of the Archdiocese of Dubuque (1937), pp. 276-277 | |
| April 28, 1945: This issue of The Saturday Evening Post’s lead article was about Father Albert Hoffmann, known as “The Father Duffy Of World War II”, because he followed the soldiers under his charge even into battle. | The Witness | |
| April 29, 1932: Sacred Heart, Maquoketa, a newly improved church building was rededicated by Archbishop Francis J Beckman. | Centennial History of the Archdiocese of Dubuque (1937), p. 315 | |
| April 30, 1803: Louisiana purchased from Napoleon for $15,000,000. Iowa carved out of this territory, the name given it by the Indians meant “Drowsy ones”. | Centennial History of the Archdiocese of Dubuque (1937), p. xxvi | |
| April 30, 1970: Visitation Academy’s last graduation, ending a 99-year tradition in Dubuque. | The Witness |